


Beautiful, Horrible, Human

by E_Violet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Canon Compliant, Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, god and my fbi agent are telling me to stop but for some reason i'm not listening
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:22:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29982114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_Violet/pseuds/E_Violet
Summary: A story detailing the life of Narcissa Black.
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I realize the title is pretty bad, as well as the summary, because I literally just thought of it. 
> 
> My apologies.

**Part I: Quidditch**

Beginnings

_September 1st, 1967_

This was the moment Narcissa Black had been waiting for her whole life. For eleven years, she had imagined stepping onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time, her sisters by her side and their parents waving them off. But Bellatrix had gone on to the Prefect’s meeting, and Andromeda had disappeared. Their parents had already left, and Narcissa stood at the entrance of the train, wondering which compartment her sisters would be in, and if they would come to find her first.

Someone touched her shoulder, and in response she stomped on his foot, hard.

“Ow!” he screamed, hopping on his other foot, and Narcissa realized she had just stomped on Lucius Malfoy, the boy Andromeda was to marry once they both left Hogwarts. “I was _not_ expecting you to be that strong... or for you to do that at all.”

“I’m so sorry!” Narcissa gasped.

“It was in self-defense. That’s understandable.”

Calmer now, knowing she wasn’t about to start a feud with Malfoy, Narcissa smiled and crossed her arms.

“If you knew my oldest sister, you would understand why I’m so well-versed in the subject of self-defense,” she said. Malfoy smiled.

“I don’t know why I was surprised,” he laughed. “Bellatrix is... terrifying.”

“She is, sometimes.” Narcissa looked at the ceiling. “Speaking of which, do you know where she plans to sit after the prefect’s meeting?”

Malfoy ran a hand through his hair.

“I... do not know,” he said. “You can sit with my friends and I, though.”

“There’s no need for that.” Narcissa looked in the direction of the voice, smiling when she saw Andromeda. Malfoy held his hands up in surrender.

“I was simply trying to assist her,” he said. “You and Bella were not around, so...”

“That is nothing for you to be concerned about,” Andromeda interrupted, her voice cold. She grabbed Narcissa’s wrist and dragged her away. “Don’t bother associating with _him,_ ” she muttered under her breath. “He’s a _rat_.”

“I didn’t know,” Narcissa whispered, ashamed. Andromeda smiled as she opened the door to a nearby compartment.

“You wouldn’t have known,” she said. The compartment was empty except for one boy, who looked to be in his fourth year. He had olive skin and short, dark, hair, and was already dressed.

“You can sit here,” he said, his eyes not moving from his book.

“Thank you,” Andromeda said. She put her and her sister’s trunks on the luggage rack and they sat down. Narcissa took note of his yellow tie.

“He’s a _Hufflepuff_ ,” she whispered to Andromeda.

“Hufflepuffs are nice,” Andromeda whispered back. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“I won’t,” the boy said. “I understand if you don’t want to talk to me, though, considering that I’m just a poor little Hufflepuff.”

“Sorry,” Narcissa squeaked, feeling her face heat up. Andromeda smiled apologetically, and the boy finally dropped his book, revealing a mischievous grin. He pulled the book back up to his face and shifted so he wasn’t facing the girls. The girls, however, continued their whispered conversations for the ride. Andromeda busted out laughing when the boy - his name was Tom or Todd, Narcissa thought - agreed with the sentiment that Lucius Malfoy was a rat.

-

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years, over here!”

Narcissa confidently climbed into a boat, along with two other girls who looked much more nervous. She made an effort to look as bored as possible, as well as disapproving of the damp boat and Hagrid in general.

_Half-breeds should not be allowed on the grounds,_ she thought with disgust. The disgust was quickly replaced with awe, as the castle came into view.

“It’s... beautiful,” gasped one of the other girls in the boat, a mousy-looking girl with dark blonde hair and pink cheeks.

“I’ve seen pictures,” said the third girl, a brunette, “But it looks even more amazing in person.” She sighed dramatically. “I hope my sister gets to see this one day.”

Narcissa moved further away from the girl, very slightly so she wouldn’t notice.

“What do you mean you ‘hope?’” asked the pink-cheeked girl, looking apprehensive. A good sign, Narcissa thought, but she couldn’t be completely certain the girl wasn’t just scared of everything.

“Well, my parents aren’t wizards,” the brunette said casually. “I didn’t even know magic existed for a while. But my sister seems to be like me, so...” She trailed off, unaware of the other two girls’ disapproval.

The boats abruptly stopped, and Hagrid instructed the first-years to exit. They made their way through a dark passage, the gamekeeper’s lamp guiding them, until they arrived at the large castle door.

Hagrid raised his fist and knocked on the door, which swung open to reveal a severe-looking witch with dark hair and round spectacles.

“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” Hagrid said. The woman’s face softened slightly, almost imperceptibly.

“Thank you, Hagrid,” she said. “I will take them from here.” She led the students to a large room, which a door separated from the Great Hall.

Narcissa zoned out while the professor gave her speech on the Sorting, and the Sorting Hat’s song after that. Bellatrix and Andromeda had told her all about it, and she knew she would be in Slytherin. She only began to pay attention when McGonagall began calling students to be sorted.

Selene Avery, the blonde girl from the boat, became the first new Slytherin. Jordan Barrett was sorted into Ravenclaw.

“Black, Narcissa!” McGonagall called. Narcissa confidently walked to the stool, sitting down. Only a short moment passed between when the Sorting Hat made contact with her head and when it yelled, “Slytherin!”

Narcissa grinned and made her way to the Slytherin table, where Andromeda made room for her.

“Welcome to the snake club.” A girl next to Andromeda smiled at Narcissa. “Thalia Flores.” She held out her hand, which Narcissa shook.

“Shut it, Lia,” a boy said, elbowing Thalia. “I missed some new Slytherins.”

“That’s Irving Warrington,” Andromeda whispered to Narcissa. “Thalia’s boyfriend.” The younger girl nodded, noting with relish that the Muggleborn girl from the boat, Chelsea Hilton, was sorted into Hufflepuff.

Fifteen new students ended up being Slytherins, which Irving proudly informed Andromeda, Narcissa and Thalia. He and Thalia were fourth-years like Andromeda.

After the feast was done and the students went to their dorms, Narcissa claimed the bed which was furthest from the door, as well as the most secluded out of all the beds. She shut the curtains around the four-poster and dressed for bed, quickly writing a letter to her family before going to sleep.

-

_September 2nd, 1967_

“What are you doing?”

Narcissa yelped and nearly threw her wand, as well as the map she had been holding, in the air.

“My apologies,” she said, once she had calmed down and realized the other person in the corridor was her fellow first-year Isadora Shafiq. “That was horribly wild of me.”

“Don’t worry,” Isadoda said, smiling. “I probably would have done the same thing.” She held up her own map. “Are you figuring out where to go as well?”

“Yes.”

“Well,” Isadora laughed, “Let us hope great minds think alike.”

The two girls’ early-morning tour of the castle proved to be extremely useful, as they were some of the first people to arrive in each class. McGonagall nodded approvingly when they were the first two students in Transfiguration. Based on Bellatrix’s accounts of Transfiguration class, that was the most any Slytherin, especially a member of the Black family, would get from the professor.

Andromeda quickly told Narcissa otherwise, as the three sisters sat in the Common Room at the end of the day, recounting their experiences to each other and working on homework. 

“If you work hard in Transfiguartion,” Andromeda said, “You’ll get the same amount of praise as anyone. But McGonagall _is_ very strict.”

“And we all know she wants to give Gryffindors all the points they can get,” Bellatrix added. She groaned and stood up. “Off to do Prefect runs with Arnold Baskin. I can’t believe I have to patrol the halls with that _Mudblood_.” She snarled in disgust before leaving.

The two remaining sisters sat in silence, until Narcissa shut her Transfiguration textbook.

“I envy your little amount of homework,” Andromeda groaned, gesturing to her pile of books. “You get to have fun, and I’m stuck summarizing goblin wars.”

Narcissa giggled and pulled another book out.

“Just pretend I’m working, too,” she said, thankful that she had someone to guide her through school. She hoped she was always as close to Andromeda as she was at that moment.

-

_September 15th, 1967_

“What, exactly, is the Slug Club?” Narcissa asked, adjusting the green bow in her hair and eying the invitation she had received a few days prior. Andromeda shrugged.

“Basically a fancy dinner for Slughorn’s favorite students,” she said from Bellatrix’s bed. Having all been invited, the three sisters were preparing in her dorm, the emptiest of the three.

“You really think I’m one of Slughorn’s favorites?” Narcissa asked, her blue eyes growing wide.

“Oh, please,” Bellatrix snorted. “The only reason you were invited is because you’re from a family of status.” She stood up from her vanity. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t worry,” Andromeda whispered to her younger sister as they left the dorm, “You’re also an excellent student. Combine that with status and everyone should love you.”

Narcissa recognized a few of the students already seated once they arrived in the dungeons, many of them Slytherins. She took a seat between her sisters, hearing Andromeda’s near-silent groan when Malfoy arrived and sat nearby.

The boy from the train was present, and he smiled at Andromeda.

“Why is he smiling at you?” Narcissa whispered to her sister, who shrugged.

“How should I know?” she whispered back.

Throughout the dinner, as Slughorn introduced and bragged about his various guests, Narcissa realized Bellatrix was right - the students he had invited were often those of high status. Selene Avery, a fellow first-year Slytherin, was the daughter of one of Slughorn’s past favorite students. Malfoy was one of multiple students from high-status families, not including the Black family. Andrew Merton, the only other first year present, was not of a family of status, but Narcissa had heard Slughorn’s effusive compliments of his potion-making skills. Damocles Belby was another student who was apparently brilliant with potions. Janna Densen, Lindy Bagnold, Harrison Rockwell, Ronald Wilson, and Richard Ford all had close relatives with high positions in the Ministry of Magic.

After over an hour of conversation and dinner, Slughorn finally released the students. Selene approached Narcissa as they made their way to the dorms.

“That was… interesting,” she said.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Narcissa replied. “I feel bad for you, considering you were seated next to Malfoy.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“My sisters say he’s bothersome and should not be associated with unless absolutely necessary.” Selene laughed.

“Wow,” she said. “I’m sure they would know, since they’re older and they know their way around.” They reached the portrait hole, open since some students had already given the password. Narcissa looked around the Common Room.

“I must find my sister,” she told Selene. “I left my notes in her room.” The other girl nodded and went on to the first-year dorms, while Narcissa scanned the room again for Bellatrix. She remembered seeing her oldest sister hang back to speak to someone else, so she climbed back through the portrait hole and began retracing her steps to Slughorn’s office, where the dinner had taken place.

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into a dark corridor, pinning her against the wall. She let out a puff of air, partly from shock, and partly because she had hit the wall so hard. She fumbled for her wand, only for her arm to be slammed against the wall as well.

“What is the meaning of this?” she hissed to whoever had grabbed her.

“I hear you’re besmirching my good name,” he snarled. “I don’t appreciate it.” Narcissa thought back to just a few minutes prior, remembering her conversation with Selene.

“Malfoy?” she said.

“Who else?” Though it was dark, she could make out the vague outline of his sharp features. “I don’t appreciate you speaking ill of me when you barely know me,” he continued.

“I know enough about you,” she squirmed in an attempt to escape, to no avail. “My sisters have told me that you’re arrogant, rude, and don’t deserve the time of day.” Malfoy loosened his grip on her.

“And _I_ think you should start making your own opinions,” he said. She carefully thought out her response.

“I see what’s happening,” she said finally. “ _You’re_ upset that a pretty girl doesn’t like you.” She smirked, expecting him to release her. Instead, he shook his head.

“Why would I care what you think?” he asked. “You’re just a ridiculous shell of a human being, whose only personality is what her sisters allow.”

“That’s not true!”

Malfoy laughed spitefully.

“If it wasn’t,” he said, “You wouldn’t be so defensive about it.” He took a step back and she ran back to the Common Room, quite frustrated.

Part of her wondered whether he was right. If she _was_ only what her sisters wanted to her to be, if her entire personality was doing everything they told her to.

“Maybe I should make my own opinions of people,” she said to herself as she made her way to the sixth-year girls dorms. Though she figured that after he pinned her against the wall and called her ridiculous, her own opinion of Malfoy would likely match her sisters’.

She silently opened the door to Bellatrix’s dorm, finding both her sisters on a bed, talking quietly.

“Avery would be a decent friend for her to have,” Andromeda was saying. “I mean, she’s already popular with Slughorn -“

“And a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Bellatrix finished. “Merton is a pureblood, too, but he’s a Gryffindor.” She wrinkled her nose. “And he’s a bit standoffish.”

“He’d probably be rude.” Andromeda inspected her nails for a moment before continuing. “I like what I’ve seen of Selwyn and Fawley.” Bellatrix snorted.

“Are you still trying to find a husband for her?” She asked. “Because she’s already got one lined up.”

“Yeah. Our _cousin.”_

“What’s not to like about Sirius? He’s pureblood, which we know for a fact, and Cissy already knows him and likes him. He’s the perfect future husband for her!”

Narcissa disagreed with her eldest sister. She was in complete support of preserving the family’s pure lineage, but she had many reservations about marrying her first cousin. She pushed the door open more, careful to make it as loud as possible. Andromeda and Bellatrix looked over at her guiltily.

“I was just coming to retrieve my Potions textbook,” Narcissa stated cooly. She walked over to the bed and picked it up, stopping again at the door. “And I think I can make my own friends, without your assistance. I’m nearly twelve. I can make my own decisions.” She shut the door behind her and made her way back to her own dorm.


	2. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, there's a part in the chapter where a dude is a bit creepy, if you're not comfortable reading that.

**Part I: Quidditch**

Halloween

_October 31st, 1967_

Despite their small dispute after the first Slug Club dinner, the three Black sisters were still as close as ever. And when Narcissa and Andromeda received letters instructing them to go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom in the middle of the night, they were happy to figure out the mystery of the letters together.

“Maybe it’s just Halloween,” Andromeda said, “But Hogwarts at three in the morning is...”

“Spooky?” Narcissa suggested. Andromeda nodded.

“Spooky,” she agreed. “As well as the matching letters we received.” She stepped on a trick step and jumped away quickly.

“You don’t think Bella’s behind it, do you?”

“Of course she is!” Andromeda rolled her eyes. “But the castle is still unsettling in the dark, when nobody is awake.”

“Did you get a letter as well?” Bellatrix poked her head out from behind a nearby wall, causing her sisters to yelp and grab each other.

“Oh,” Narcissa said once she had calmed down. “It’s just you.” Bellatrix handed her the letter she had received, and it matched the other two letters. “And you’re not behind this.”

“I don’t know who is,” the older girl said. “I wouldn’t put it past Dumbledore.”

“Why would Dumbledore want to see us? Especially at this hour.”

Andromeda snorted.

“He’s weird,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he called students to see him in the middle of the night.”

All three laughed quietly as they turned a corner.

“Defense classroom is down the hall,” Andromeda stated. “That’s where we were told to go, correct?”

Bellatrix nodded. “Yes.” They reached the door and she held her wand to the lock. “ _Alohomora_.”

The door creaked loudly when she pushed it open. The room was completely dark, and silent, except for the girls’ footsteps.

“Close the door.” A harsh, raspy, voice came from the corner. Bellatrix obeyed.

“C-can we have some light?”

“If you do it yourself.”

“Do it, Andy.” Bellatrix elbowed Andromeda, who sighed and whispered, “ _Lumos.”_

They looked around the room, which seemed empty. Andromeda held her wand out further in front of her, and suddenly, a masked figure - a monstrous-looking masked figure - jumped out from behind a corner, screaming waving a knife.

Andromeda and Narcissa screamed. Bellatrix, on the other hand, cackled maniacally. She waved her wand and the lanterns in the room lit up.

“You,” Andromeda stated, “You were behind this all along?” Bellatrix nodded. The masked figure removed its mask, revealed to be Rodolphus Lestrange.

“It’s Halloween,” Bellatrix said. “I wanted to scare my little sisters. But you would have known I sent the letters if I hadn’t given myself one as well and gone along with you guys. So I had Rodolphus hide to scare you.” She made her way over to the older boy, aggressively grabbing his waist and whispering words of gratitude before kissing him.

“This is _by far_ the scariest thing that’s happened this morning,” Narcissa whispered to Andromeda, gesturing to their sister and her boyfriend aggressively snogging against a desk.

“Agreed,” Andromeda responded. “Let’s get out of here before we see anything else.”

-

One Hogwarts tradition Andromeda and Bellatrix had neglected to inform Narcissa of was the Annual Hogwarts Costume Contest. Every year, students were given the option of dressing up for Halloween and competing with the other students for what Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and a third professor, thought the best costume was. Narcissa had asked her sisters why they never told her about the event, two weeks before, and they claimed it hadn’t been very important.

“It’s heavily biased,” Bellatrix had said. “There’s no point in entering, because Slytherins never win.” Andromeda had agreed, but Narcissa, still wide-eyed and innocent, thought it would have been fun to dress up with her sisters. She didn’t voice this opinion out loud, though. She knew the appeal of winning and that Bellatrix would never want to do something if there was no hope of winning.

There was a chill in the air as Narcissa walked to the Quidditch field, where the contest was taking place. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders and climbed the steps to the Slytherin seating area, taking a seat next to Isadora, who she had become closer to as the year had progressed.

“I hope they win,” Isadora said, pointing to a group of second and third-year Slytherins, dressed as various members of Merlin’s family.

“I’d love for some Slytherins to win,” Narcissa agreed, “But my sisters said…” She trailed off, seeing a familiar head of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. She scowled, remembering his words about her.

“What did your sisters say?” Isadora asked. Narcissa shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re a bit controlling, to be honest.” Isadora laughed.

“I understand,” she said. “My brother, Isaiah, can be controlling as well. He seems to think that just because he’s older, he knows _everything.”_ Both girls laughed.

The judges, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Professor Sienna, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, stepped onto the field, a quill and roll of parchment following each of them. They approached each group of competitors, asking questions about each person’s costume.

“They don’t seem to like the Slytherin boys,” Narcissa observed. She smiled apologetically at Isadora. “Sorry.” The other girl shrugged.

“Well, I suppose it’s okay, as long as the winners aren’t from Gryffindor.”

“Ugh, Gryffindor.” Narcissa sniffed in disgust. “I’d hate to be in any other house than Slytherin, but I think I’d disown myself if I were in Gryffindor.”

“Gryffindors are a bunch of self-righteous arses,” someone said from behind them. The two girls turned their heads to see who had spoken. Three boys had taken seats behind them. The first boy had a face reminiscent of a shrew.

“Some Prefect named ‘Weasley’ took points away from us!” said the second boy, who was much more attractive than the first boy, with a sharp jawline and dark curly hair framing his face.

“We were just goofing off,” grunted the third boy, more heavyset than the other two, with a sullen look on his face.

“Yeah,” the second boy continued. “We were just goofing off, the _Weasley_ decides to take points from us because he’s a _Prefect.”_

_“_ He thinks he’s so much better than us,” the first boy added, and Narcissa wondered if they had rehearsed this rant, “Just because he likes Muggles.”

“That makes him worse, then,” Isadora stated, and the first boy threw his head back and laughed.

“That is true,” he said. He reached out to squeeze her shoulder, which visibly startled her. “You’re funny.” His hand remained on her shoulder, and Narcissa noticed her friend growing uncomfortable. Just as she opened her mouth to tell the boy off, another voice cut through the silence.

“Oi, Macnair! Let go of her, you creep!” Malfoy approached the group, followed by a short, round boy. He sat down next to Macnair, who had quickly let go of Isadora.

“Thank you,” Isadora said quietly.

“Mac can’t follow social cues,” grunted Malfoy’s round friend. Malfoy shoved him.

“Like you’re any better.” He held out his hand to Isadora, grandly. “Lucius Malfoy. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“And _I_ don’t believe you could be any more obvious,” Narcissa muttered as her friend shook his hand. She had noticed, along with his arrogance, that Malfoy seemed to have a wandering eye, and she suspected that was another reason Andromeda hated him. She couldn’t blame her sister, though. She, too, wanted a relationship much like the one her eldest sister had. After their slow and somewhat rocky start, once Rodolphus matured, he and Bellatrix had bonded over their similar extreme views of blood purity and had only had eyes for each other since.

Despite the fact that Andromeda was betrothed to the dreaded Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa envied her sister for the sole fact that she was to marry a non-relative. Narcissa had to marry Sirius, her cousin who was four years her junior. She wanted to preserve the purity of the Black family, but she never dreamed of going to such lengths. So, early on after the arrangement was made, she had decided that some time before she and Sirius were of age, she would find another pureblood wizard suitable to marry.

From the conversation, she deduced that the three unknown boys were Alistair Crabbe, Edward Goyle, and Nathaniel Nott, all members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Nott was a fourth-year, but he was easily the most attractive out of the three boys, and he and Narcissa were only roughly two years apart. She had just had a birthday a few days prior, which was dramatically and extravagantly acknowledged by the letters and gifts she had received from her relatives.

An added benefit to Nott was that the Nott family was wealthy. Not as wealthy as the Black family or the Malfoy family, but still wealthy. And he was friendly enough. And she had all of the Halloween feast to get to know him better, since Malfoy had already invited Isadora and her to sit with him and his friends.

As they walked back to the Great Hall, she took the opportunity to speak with him.

“Who do you think will win the contest?” she asked. He thought before answering.

“Honestly, I think either the Gryffindor dragons or those Hufflepuff boys,” he said.

“The ones who reenacted the Adelaide the Artistic painting?”

“Precisely. Though they were Hufflepuffs, they had quite a nice setup.” He sighed. “And Merlin knows Dumbledore won’t let a Slytherin team win.” Narcissa laughed.

“I was aware of his bias,” she said. “Does he at least let talent speak for itself in Quidditch?” Nott raised his eyebrows.

“You are interested in Quidditch?” he asked as they entered the hall and made their way to the Slytherin table. She nodded and took a seat.

“Terribly unladylike of me, but yes,” she said. “I saw the World Cup in France last year, with my sisters and my cousins.” Nott, seated across from her, nodded in interest. “Are you on the Quidditch team?” He shook his head.

“I prefer to watch,” he said.

“As do I.” He smiled at her, and she felt her face heat up slightly. She focused on Dumbledore, who had gotten to his feet.

“After careful deliberation,” he announced, “Professor McGonagall, Professor Sienna, and I have made a decision, regarding this year’s Hogwarts Halloween Costume Contest winners.” He smiled in the direction of the Hufflepuff table. “I believe congratulations are in order for Ted Tonks, Michael Yang, Thomas Berg, and Lisa Rose. Fifty points each to Hufflepuff for your hard work and excellent costumes.” Polite applause filled the room.

“You were right,” Narcissa said quietly to Nott. He grinned.

“No thanks to Divination class,” he responded. “I highly advise against taking that class.” Narcissa giggled.

“Noted.”

She continued making conversation with Nott throughout dinner, along with Isadora and the rest of the boys.

“I’m certain you will be proud of me,” she told Andromeda after the feast, as they made their way through the halls to the Slytherin dorms. “I have spent time with Malfoy, and have formed an opinion of him that is my _own,_ yet still very much like yours.” The older girl remained silent, a small smile on her face. “He thinks he’s a god,” Narcissa continued. “Which he is most definitely not. And he seems to be preparing himself for a future as - excuse my language - a man-whore.” Andromeda’s laughter filled the hall, and she continued giggling when they turned a corner, despite the fact that two other students were in the new hall. Andromeda rushed over to them, and it took Narcissa a moment to remember that they were the winners of the contest.

“Ted!” Andromeda said as she got closer to them. “Lisa! Congratulations!” Both Hufflepuffs smiled and thanked her, and Narcissa realized, as she approached the group, that the boy was the same boy on the train, and the same boy who had smiled at her sister at the Slug Club dinner. She listened to their conversation in awe over the fact that Andromeda was brave enough to speak to students who weren’t Slytherins. After they finished conversing and were about to go their separate ways, Narcissa stopped.

“Wait,” she said, and the two Hufflepuffs looked at her. She smiled genuinely. “I really liked your costumes. They were incredibly accurate.” The girl, Lisa, grinned.

“Thank you,” she said. “We had fun. I’d definitely recommend competing next year. You may not win, but the real prize is the experience.” Then they really went their separate ways. As soon as Ted and Lisa were out of earshot, Andromeda snorted.

“That was such a _Hufflepuff_ thing that Lisa said,” she giggled.

“Agreed. But why did you flag Ted down?”

“I don’t know.” Andromeda shrugged, as if to prove this point. “He’s in my Care of Magical Creatures class. We’ve worked together, and he’s just been very nice.”

“Also a Hufflepuff thing to do,” Narcissa observed, and her sister nodded.

“I thought I’d return the favor.”

That made sense, Narcissa thought. She knew Bellatrix would disagree, and she said exactly that.

“Well,” Andromeda responded, lowering her voice as they entered the Slytherin Common Room, “That’s why we won’t tell Bella that I’ve gone ‘soft.’” Both girls laughed as they went to their respective dorms.

Narcissa found both Isadora and Selene sitting on one of their beds. Isadora patted the spot next to her, and Narcissa took a seat.

“We’ve been talking about Malfoy,” Selene informed her. “He’s very attractive.”

“I think Nott’s more attractive,” Narcissa responded. Isadora smirked.

“Narcissa _fancies_ Nott,” she told Selene. Narcissa blushed.

“Well, _you_ fancy Malfoy!” she retorted. Isadora shrugged.

“What can I say?” she said. “I do. He’s nice, he’s funny, and has a very pretty face.” Selene snorted.

“What?” Isadora said to her. She giggled.

“I just thought, what if you and Narcissa had just hung out with your future husbands?” Isadora grinned at this prospect. Still in high spirits from her walk with Andromeda and the entire evening, Narcissa decided not to mention that Malfoy already had a wife set out for him. After all, things could change. That was precisely what she was hoping for, too, in order to get out of marrying Sirius. She smiled as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, if you reached the end. 
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated. 
> 
> :)


End file.
